AAArrgghhh! I hate editing! - Page 4

M. R. Mathias · 09-19-2010, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Not me, my friend. I may, as you claimed, be retarded, but I am not sufficiently retarded to want to come back for more insults.

Then you shouldn't have shown up insulting my banner. You started it. Plainly you did.

HarryT · 09-19-2010, 04:57 PM

Really, Mr. Mathias, you are being ridiculous. I have already quoted your post where you asked people to point out your mistakes to you.

I wish you every success with your writing career, but I've had enough of this discussion. I would leave you with the parting thought that it may be beneficial to accept suggestions from those who have been in this business for an awfully long time (I was writing books in the 1980s) with a little more grace and fewer insults.

And with that, I shall bid you farewell.

ardeegee · 09-19-2010, 04:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M. R. Mathias

Then you shouldn't have shown up insulting my banner. You started it. Plainly you did.

Dude, I'd say "take a chill pill", but that's what got you in trouble in the first place.

M. R. Mathias · 09-19-2010, 05:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HarryT

Really, Mr. Mathias, you are being ridiculous. I have already quoted your post where you asked people to point out your mistakes to you.

I wish you every success with your writing career, but I've had enough of this discussion. I would leave you with the parting thought that it may be beneficial to accept suggestions from those who have been in this business for an awfully long time (I was writing books in the 1980s) with a little more grace and fewer insults.

And with that, I shall bid you farewell.

In that post Sir. I asked people to point the flaws in that story, in that thread, not the flaws in my Sig line here. If you cannot see how you came to this thread and disrespected me publicly then you are in fact what I called you!

Either way you are rude and less than a gentleman and deserving of my animosity.

And if you have been writing since the 80's and are still puttering around here trying to bother people and sell books then I have to wonder just how good those books are.

Everyone should keep in mind that I posted this thread. I never came into your thread and badgered you. You came into mine.

M. R. Mathias · 09-19-2010, 05:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ardeegee

Dude, I'd say "take a chill pill", but that's what got you in trouble in the first place.

LOL Im about to go to bed....

That was really funny!

bridgetostars · 09-19-2010, 05:47 PM

I have to say, this thread has been quite fun. I was hoping this was the same M. R. Mathias from the Amazon Fantasy boards, and I was not disappointed! Wacky hijinks and nonsensical ire abounded! I laughed! I cried! M. R., I enjoy your compulsion to totally alienate many potential readers and friends on multiple forums. It's fascinating.

If this is an anti-marketing campaign, I think the anti-snobbishness (you people with your grammar and your spelling! rarr!) tack might have worked, but your immaturity and defensiveness ruins it a tad. Alas! If this isn't an anti-marketing campaign then I'm not quite sure what to say.

What really makes me wonder is how many authors we've read and loved would we never have read if we, say, met them on a forum? Hahah. "That Hemingway, what a tool, I'll not pick any of his books up, for sure!" What authors would have been the most incorrigible trolls...? *muses*

Selcien · 09-19-2010, 05:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M. R. Mathias

In that post Sir. I asked people to point the flaws in that story, in that thread, not the flaws in my Sig line here. If you cannot see how you came to this thread and disrespected me publicly then you are in fact what I called you!

I entered this thread with no previous knowledge that you had ever invited criticism anywhere and I did not find what HarryT said to be disrespectful at all, it seemed like friendly advice that you could take if you wished to, or ignore if you wished to.

Now, I personally try to stay clear of topics centering around grammar since I've never had even a decent grasp of it. But much like a train wreck I couldn't help but look at this thread once you started responding. I don't care what was said about you're grammar but I do care about the way you responded, and you alone are responsible for how you handle a situation.

I'm not the type of person that will outright ignore someone's books because of the way they come across, but after reading this thread I'm going to be far less inclined to bother trying anything you've written. I'm just one person but that is totally irrelevant. I was a person that was not involved in the discussion, I was a person that just happened along and read the thread. If you've pushed me away it's safe to say that you've pushed others away as well. The numbers are irrelevant, what matters is that what you've done here is the opposite of what you need to be doing. And you can say that you don't care about sales but if you didn't want people to read your books you wouldn't have bothered publishing them, so I'd think that you'd care about not pushing people away.

M. R. Mathias · 09-19-2010, 10:24 PM

Now, I have had a nap and some insulin and I feel much better.

All of you are welcome for the entertainment. I KNOW beyond the shadow of a doubt that reading this thread was far more entertaing than reading ANYTHING else at at MobilReads today. (unless you went and actually read The Blood of Coldfrost)

I have to go check my Amazon sales. Which so far have gone way over the century mark. Which at $8.88 in my first 45 days is substantial. I came here to enjoy the posting and today I have. I learned who was smug and who was cool and who was just plain old sad. After I am done at Amazon I have to stop by Goodreads and read all of my 5 star reviews, then maybe go to Indi Fantasy Writers Unlimited and check on my friends there.

I invite all of you stop by the Fantasy Book Critic blogsite tues to peruse my 5 star review there.

Good Day.

Worldwalker · 09-20-2010, 01:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M. R. Mathias

Why would I pay to edit a story I give you for free.

Because when you give away a story for free, you're doing it to get people to give you money for your other stories. Before they read that story they were a potential buyer, but if they read the free one and don't like it, they're a definite non-buyer, which is exactly the opposite response from the one you want.

MrPLD · 09-20-2010, 01:10 AM

Worldwalker,

Sounds like you're trying to say what we were taught in 'sales school' - never give a prospective client/customer a sample that's broken, faulty, dirty or otherwise anything less than a future (larger) product they may buy in the future lest they consider that to be the standard of all your products.

M. R. Mathias · 09-20-2010, 07:09 AM

@ the last posters 'Worldwalker' & 'MrPLD' I explained earlier, and I assume that the explination got lost in the muck of my earlier posts in this thread.... The story 'The Blood of Coldfrost' was an expirenental project. I wrote it in an hour and posted it on Kindleboards. There, three other authors, some who frequent this site too, all took a crack at editing/rewriting it. This took about 4 more hours. I took the best recomendations from those writers, incorporated them, then made a cover and uploaded it all in less that a day.

To go back and violate the spirit of the expirement would be uncooth, I think. From conception to published in 12 hours or less was the idea. And it was done.

I just went back over it though and I still don't see any glaring errors that would scare a buyer away. In fact I don't see any at all. 'Purple prose' maybe, but that is sort of what 'Flash Fiction' is supposed to be.

I dont understand where any of you are coming from? It's my own work and I know I see it differently, but still, the horrid, English language bashing, document that the earlier posters portrayed simply does not exist. My sales prove otherwise. The Sword and the Dragon has hovered around the 10k best in sales mark at Amazon since it was published. That is no best seller, but top 10k out of 680k total books is something. As are my profits.

lene1949 · 09-20-2010, 08:05 AM

I didn't quite understand this post (one of your first on this board)

Quote:

Originally Posted by M. R. Mathias

No animosity, no anger, no bad editing....lol It's a new me! nice to see you too!

Now I do..

Gwen Morse · 09-20-2010, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M. R. Mathias

@ the last posters 'Worldwalker' & 'MrPLD' I explained earlier, and I assume that the explination got lost in the muck of my earlier posts in this thread.... The story 'The Blood of Coldfrost' was an expirenental project. I wrote it in an hour and posted it on Kindleboards. There, three other authors, some who frequent this site too, all took a crack at editing/rewriting it. This took about 4 more hours. I took the best recomendations from those writers, incorporated them, then made a cover and uploaded it all in less that a day.

To go back and violate the spirit of the expirement would be uncooth, I think. From conception to published in 12 hours or less was the idea. And it was done.

I just went back over it though and I still don't see any glaring errors that would scare a buyer away. In fact I don't see any at all. 'Purple prose' maybe, but that is sort of what 'Flash Fiction' is supposed to be.

I dont understand where any of you are coming from? It's my own work and I know I see it differently, but still, the horrid, English language bashing, document that the earlier posters portrayed simply does not exist. My sales prove otherwise. The Sword and the Dragon has hovered around the 10k best in sales mark at Amazon since it was published. That is no best seller, but top 10k out of 680k total books is something. As are my profits.

I didn't follow the original story link, but, I would respectfully suggest you include that history with the story in some way. Either in a short "preface" in the file itself, or at least at the point of download.

Many people like to know little bits of background history about the story they're enjoying (that curiosity is what makes the special features and commentary tracks on DVDs so popular).

Just a thought

.

murraypaul · 09-20-2010, 11:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by M. R. Mathias

Either way you are rude and less than a gentleman and deserving of my animosity.

No, you may not have been happy with what HarryT said, but he wasn't rude.
He offered honest, and obviously unwelcome advice, but he isn't the one slinging insults around.

mrscoach · 09-20-2010, 11:33 AM

M.R. Mathias, I find your bringing up the tradition of oral storytelling a weak defense, at best. Yes, stories were told and retold in olden times, but if a story wasn't told well, or wasn't a good story, it died. The traveling storytellers who gathered information and retold it to other tribes/countries/kings/whatever had to make the stories interesting while still getting the main point across. They were paid according to how well they performed. If no one liked their stories, they weren't fed and sheltered, and not allowed back again.

Apart from the actual story is the grammar. No, they didn't use commas, semicolons or quotation marks, but they didnt' have to, those are written marks showing visual cues to how things sound when said aloud. We naturally pause while speaking, which is represented by commas or periods. When a story is told it is quite clear when a character is "speaking", sometimes the teller uses a different voice. It is very hard to read text without these cues, and nearly impossible to know the author's intent.

Soemtimes the placement of a comma makes a world of difference. The title of a book I have seen is the only thing that comes to mind right now, but illustrates my point. "Eats Shoots and Leaves" could mean someone eats the leaves and shoots of plants, or it could mean, with proper comma placement that someone eats, shoots someone or thing, then leaves. Do you see the difference? (Yes, it was a book on grammar) "Eats shoots and leaves" tell what they eat, while "Eats, shoots, and leaves" tells what they did.

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09-19-2010, 04:57 PM	#47
HarryT eBook Enthusiast Posts: 85,544 Karma: 93383099 Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: UK Device: Kindle Oasis 2, iPad Pro 10.5", iPhone 6	Really, Mr. Mathias, you are being ridiculous. I have already quoted your post where you asked people to point out your mistakes to you. I wish you every success with your writing career, but I've had enough of this discussion. I would leave you with the parting thought that it may be beneficial to accept suggestions from those who have been in this business for an awfully long time (I was writing books in the 1980s) with a little more grace and fewer insults. And with that, I shall bid you farewell.

09-19-2010, 05:47 PM	#51
bridgetostars Member Posts: 19 Karma: 2998 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Kentucky, USA Device: Nook	I have to say, this thread has been quite fun. I was hoping this was the same M. R. Mathias from the Amazon Fantasy boards, and I was not disappointed! Wacky hijinks and nonsensical ire abounded! I laughed! I cried! M. R., I enjoy your compulsion to totally alienate many potential readers and friends on multiple forums. It's fascinating. If this is an anti-marketing campaign, I think the anti-snobbishness (you people with your grammar and your spelling! rarr!) tack might have worked, but your immaturity and defensiveness ruins it a tad. Alas! If this isn't an anti-marketing campaign then I'm not quite sure what to say. What really makes me wonder is how many authors we've read and loved would we never have read if we, say, met them on a forum? Hahah. "That Hemingway, what a tool, I'll not pick any of his books up, for sure!" What authors would have been the most incorrigible trolls...? muses

09-19-2010, 10:24 PM	#53
M. R. Mathias Banned Posts: 111 Karma: 80 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: New Orleans Device: Kindle k3, PC	Now, I have had a nap and some insulin and I feel much better. All of you are welcome for the entertainment. I KNOW beyond the shadow of a doubt that reading this thread was far more entertaing than reading ANYTHING else at at MobilReads today. (unless you went and actually read The Blood of Coldfrost) I have to go check my Amazon sales. Which so far have gone way over the century mark. Which at $8.88 in my first 45 days is substantial. I came here to enjoy the posting and today I have. I learned who was smug and who was cool and who was just plain old sad. After I am done at Amazon I have to stop by Goodreads and read all of my 5 star reviews, then maybe go to Indi Fantasy Writers Unlimited and check on my friends there. I invite all of you stop by the Fantasy Book Critic blogsite tues to peruse my 5 star review there. Good Day.

09-20-2010, 01:10 AM	#55
MrPLD Author's pet-geek Posts: 933 Karma: 1040670 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: North Queensland, Australia Device: Kindle 3 Wifi, Onyx Boox M96	Worldwalker, Sounds like you're trying to say what we were taught in 'sales school' - never give a prospective client/customer a sample that's broken, faulty, dirty or otherwise anything less than a future (larger) product they may buy in the future lest they consider that to be the standard of all your products.

09-20-2010, 07:09 AM	#56
M. R. Mathias Banned Posts: 111 Karma: 80 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: New Orleans Device: Kindle k3, PC	@ the last posters 'Worldwalker' & 'MrPLD' I explained earlier, and I assume that the explination got lost in the muck of my earlier posts in this thread.... The story 'The Blood of Coldfrost' was an expirenental project. I wrote it in an hour and posted it on Kindleboards. There, three other authors, some who frequent this site too, all took a crack at editing/rewriting it. This took about 4 more hours. I took the best recomendations from those writers, incorporated them, then made a cover and uploaded it all in less that a day. To go back and violate the spirit of the expirement would be uncooth, I think. From conception to published in 12 hours or less was the idea. And it was done. I just went back over it though and I still don't see any glaring errors that would scare a buyer away. In fact I don't see any at all. 'Purple prose' maybe, but that is sort of what 'Flash Fiction' is supposed to be. I dont understand where any of you are coming from? It's my own work and I know I see it differently, but still, the horrid, English language bashing, document that the earlier posters portrayed simply does not exist. My sales prove otherwise. The Sword and the Dragon has hovered around the 10k best in sales mark at Amazon since it was published. That is no best seller, but top 10k out of 680k total books is something. As are my profits.

09-20-2010, 11:33 AM	#60
mrscoach Guru Posts: 767 Karma: 4837659 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: San Angelo Texas Device: Samsung Galaxy tab	M.R. Mathias, I find your bringing up the tradition of oral storytelling a weak defense, at best. Yes, stories were told and retold in olden times, but if a story wasn't told well, or wasn't a good story, it died. The traveling storytellers who gathered information and retold it to other tribes/countries/kings/whatever had to make the stories interesting while still getting the main point across. They were paid according to how well they performed. If no one liked their stories, they weren't fed and sheltered, and not allowed back again. Apart from the actual story is the grammar. No, they didn't use commas, semicolons or quotation marks, but they didnt' have to, those are written marks showing visual cues to how things sound when said aloud. We naturally pause while speaking, which is represented by commas or periods. When a story is told it is quite clear when a character is "speaking", sometimes the teller uses a different voice. It is very hard to read text without these cues, and nearly impossible to know the author's intent. Soemtimes the placement of a comma makes a world of difference. The title of a book I have seen is the only thing that comes to mind right now, but illustrates my point. "Eats Shoots and Leaves" could mean someone eats the leaves and shoots of plants, or it could mean, with proper comma placement that someone eats, shoots someone or thing, then leaves. Do you see the difference? (Yes, it was a book on grammar) "Eats shoots and leaves" tell what they eat, while "Eats, shoots, and leaves" tells what they did.